GREATER Birmingham avenged their defeat in last season’s RLF Three Counties Championship by routing holders Worcestershire and Herefordshire 66-25 in the group match at Kings Norton’s Hopwood ground.

It required a penalty in extra-time to clinch the title last year but Worcestershire and Herefordshire’s hopes of winning the competition for the seventh time in eight seasons were effectively shattered by a superb second-half display from Greater Birmingham in which they scored eight of their ten tries.

The champions were ahead after half-an-hour and only three points adrift at the break but two converted tries in the first nine minutes of the second-half effectively decided the game.

But the pace and power of Greater Birmingham’s rugby flattened the holders and there was no let-up in the intensity as three tries were scored in the last five minutes.

Once again Greater Birmingham worked around the loose with the experience of former Samoa international number eight Zak Feau’nati (Veseyans) but Old Yardleians scrum-half Tom Grocott also proved a constant menace to the Combined Counties’ defence.

Grocott topped and tailed the try-scoring after Veseyans fly-half Dan Poulton had kicked Greater Birmingham into the lead with an early penalty.

The holders responded with a penalty from full-back Tom Biggs (Worcester Wanderers) and a well-worked try for Old Halesonians flanker Tim Breakwell which Biggs improved to give Worcestershire and Herefordshire the lead.

Biggs and Paulton then traded penalties before Greater Birmingham regained the lead when Veseyans wing Ryan Branston crossed for an unconverted try.

There was no hint of the romp that was to follow even when Feau’nati drove over from a five-metre scrum and then set up Veseyans centre Dan Thompson for the first of two tries.

Thompson rounded off a sustained attack and two tries from Kings Norton centre Jack Fairhurst briefly rallied the Combined Counties but that did not knock Greater Birmingham out of their stride.

Camp Hill’s powerhouse centre Charlie Maunder got Greater Birmingham moving again and centre Ashley Knight (Yardley & District) rounded off a brilliant counter-attack from deep in defence.

Right-wing Travis Webber (Camp Hill) brought up the half-century and there was still time for flanker Steve Halbert and Grocott to cross for further tries.

Paulton converted four tries and Brad Meeson (Aston OE) one.

Worcestershire and Herefordshire travel to Telford Hornets to play Shropshire in their final group match next Tuesday.

They will need to win that game across the counties border by a similar margin to their defeat against Greater Birmingham if they are to progress to the final at Stourbridge’s Stourton Park on May 14.

The RLF Three Counties Championship is contested by the three domestic unions that make up the North Midlands RFU and the competition has provided a number of players to the senior North Midlands county side in recent seasons.